The director of the Moscow Circus hopes that its upcoming show will not only entertain, but act as a bridge to Russian culture.

Global Entertainment Production's Moscow Circus show 'A Russian Winter's Tale' begins on January 29, as part of the Bermuda Festival for the Performing Arts programme.

It has, so far, proved to be one of the most sought after shows, with tickets selling out almost immediately, even with the addition of extra shows.

"Come prepared to have a terrific time," said Moscow Circus Director and Producer Sasha Vorsk. "Come to see more than just a circus. We are trying hard to give audiences a piece of Russian culture."

The Moscow Circus has on offer acrobats, hand balancers, jugglers, clowns and one non-human performer.

"We have one terrific veteran animal performer that is with us with every tour," he said. "He is a partner in the acrobatic duo of Andrey and Kirya. Kirya is a small and extremely talented dog."

Mr. Vorsk said the Bermuda audience could expect a variety of acrobatics, gymnastics, aerial acts and contortion, among other things.

"We have very interesting clowns," said Mr. Vorsk. "They are not the American type of clowns. Russian clowns are known for being the centerpiece of the show. Sometimes whole shows are built around the clowns."

During the show, audiences will hear Russian music and see Russian and Ukranian performers.

"It is a kind of cultural exchange," said Mr. Vorsk. "That is why we like to do it. It is not just the circus for the circus' sake. "

Mr. Vorsk currently lives in Brooklyn, New York but grew up in Kiev, Russia. His path to the circus was not a straight one.

"My mother was an architect and I was always drawing," said Mr. Vorsk. "Architecture seemed to be the thing to do."

But from a young age, he learned mime from an uncle. As a teenager he studied mime, stand-up comedy and theatre in Moscow.

While studying architecture at the Moscow University of Architecture he kept performing on the side.

He joined the Russian airforce and entertained the troops. Eventually, he went back to school to study at the prestigious Moscow College of the Circus and Variety Arts, also known as the Moscow Circus School.

He said it was interesting to consider how architecture had influenced his circus work.

"They say that architecture is the mother of art," he said. "In a way it might have influenced things. It probably helps me to structure the show. A lot of movie directors in the United States started out as architects."

When he moved to the United States in 1981 he spoke no English.

He worked as an illustrator while he got the language down. But, eventually, his sights strayed back to performing.

In 1990, he created and co-produced the Emmy Award-winning HBO feature film, 'Billy Crystal — Midnight Train to Moscow'.

Eight years later, he and his wife Lena, an acrobat, began producing Moscow Circus shows and organising tours around the United States.

Today, Mr. Vorsk is involved with many different facets of show production.

"The duties are quite wide ranging," he said. "I am extremely fortunate to have this job."

As a producer, he first develops the concept for an act, then recruits performers to carry out his idea.

"I go back to Russia and the Ukraine and audition performers that fit the concept," he said. "I take raw technique and turn each act into what I need for the show.

"I put all the acts together and go back to the drawing board and do sketches for the sets and costumes. Then I put together the music, the way I conceive it."

The Moscow Circus is descended from the Old Moscow Circus started 130 years ago in Russia.

"Like everything else, the Moscow Circus has gone though a few transitions over time, but the Moscow Circus of today takes its roots from the old Moscow Circus started in 1880," said Mr. Vorsk.

Following the turmoil of the 1917 revolution, the circus was allowed to continue in the Soviet Union, because it was considered an egalitarian activity.

"There are18 performers in the Moscow Circus," Mr. Vorsk said. "My job is to make the audience believe that we really have a cast of 40. Our performers have multiple talents and each appears in different acts and groups."

The circus company spends eight months out of the year travelling.

Most of the performers are from Russia and the Ukraine so Bermuda winter weather will make for a bit of a change.

"We are starting in California," said Mr. Vorsk. "From there we are flying to Bermuda. Then they will get a real taste of American cold as they are going on to Illinois."

He said in the winter of 2008, they went to Alaska where temperatures were minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mr. Vorsk said he was happy to say that they sold out in most places they visited. "We take these little signs with us that say 'all sold out. No more tickets'."

He said it has got slightly harder to find circus performers since the fall of the Soviet Union, because people now have a greater choice about what they did for a living.

"It is part of being an open society now," he said. "Finding performers was easier when everything was controlled."

But he said some things were better. Russian circus schools were now much more prominent in the world, and were influencing the big circuses like Cirque Du Soleil. And that in turn had a positive effect on the smaller circuses.

"Many circuses around the world, are thanks to Cirque Du Soleil, getting so popular," he said. "A lot of performers are invited to perform around the world.

"In our case, sometimes when I can't find someone, we develop our own talent."

He said as with any circus, there was an element of danger involved for the talent.

"The only way to avoid problems is to be well-prepared and have reliable people responsible for the rigging and the things the performers depend on for their safety," he said.

He said they were fortunate to have American production and stage manager, Joe Sharp.

"The show is highly appropriate for children, and people of all ages," he said.

He and his wife now have two children of their own ages three and five-years-old.

"They have been travelling with us since they were about four-months-old," he said. "They love it. We do as well with five and six-year-olds as well as 75-year-olds. The show is not geared for the kids, but kids find it fascinating."

The Bermuda Festival is on from January 20 to March 6. The Moscow Circus is on January 29, 30 and 31 at The Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, all shows are sold out.

For more information about the Bermuda Festival, see their website at http://www.bermudafestival.org/ .